Teen Zumba Lets Kids Move Freely

A.P.E. Fitness has always allowed teens to participate in their Zumba classes, but now owner and instructor Alba Carrasco-Martinez offers a specialized Teen Zumba class, which is open to boys and girls and runs a full hour.

A.P.E. Fitness has always allowed teens to participate in their Zumba classes, but owner and instructor Alba Carrasco-Martinez says she realized that her younger students were not always comfortable dancing with their moms.

"They want to be able to move freely, without being judged by their parents," Carrasco-Martinez says. "They have enough peer pressure from their friends—they don't need to be dancing in front of their friends' moms!"

Carrasco-Martinez says it was this idea that prompted her to offer a teen Zumba class, which is open to boys and girls and runs a full hour. The focus is "very much on fitness," Carrasco-Martinez says, "but we call it dance because it’s more fun to say it that way." She describes the class as a "killer workout" and focuses on teaching teens control and coordination.

Power, speed, and proper form are three things Carrasco-Martinez wishes to impart to her students, along with her mentality that it’s okay to feel sore after a workout. "That's how you get stronger," she says. "That’s how you know it was a really great workout!"

Based on the positive response to her teen Zumba classes, Carrasco-Martinez is also planning to introduce a teen kickboxing class in the near future.

A.P.E. Fitness is located at 26 Poningo St., Port Chester. For more information call 914-419-1741.

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